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"Stranger Things" Experience — Parallax Forums

"Stranger Things" Experience

JonnyMacJonnyMac Posts: 9,104
edited 2016-10-25 00:05 in Propeller 1
My friend, Matt, does a lot of work with animatronics, frequently using the EFX-TEK HC-8+ (that I designed). With all the hoopla over HBO's "Stranger Things," he's decided to create an "experience" in his home. Here's a shot of his living room.

14724559_10211360558559541_8543828921031614921_n.jpg?oh=e0c2f28024eceb1cdae410f1b9289e66&oe=589D73B1

The wall with the letters is actually a false wall; akin to a very thin theater flat. He was once a sign painter so he did some hi-res screen grabs from the show and did a dead-on recreation of that wall.

The Christmas lights are from a company called HolidayCoro; each has a WS2811 driver and two RGB LEDs. Matt's using a big Weigl show controller to run the works, with an HC-8+ listening for command signals via DMX and doing the "spell it out with lights" effect.

Comments

  • KednerpoKednerpo Posts: 46
    This show is on my wife's and my "to do" list for this fall/winter. Now it looks like I may have a project for after the show too! That looks really cool.
  • KeithEKeithE Posts: 957
    This would be great in a haunted house. A little creepy for your average living room ;-)

    It's a Netflix original as far as I know. I heard that they are building some production studios up here in Los Gatos. I'm just a short bike ride away from their campus.
  • JonnyMacJonnyMac Posts: 9,104
    It's over-the-top party decoration. He's lifted audio from the series for his "show" which includes a couple cosplayers. I really is very elaborate for Halloween party decorations -- but this is Hollywood, and this is how we roll!
  • KeithEKeithE Posts: 957
    If he threw a Raspberry Pi into the mix, then maybe he could get some more attention. e.g. to monitor a twitter feed and spell out tweets. Here's an example of a project that got a little front page Pi action, and it was a bit of a "stranger" stretch:

    https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/talkiepi-raspberry-pi-walkie-talkie/

    There are all sorts of possibilities for a Stranger Things experience having to do with that house, but no spoilers! ;-)
  • JonnyMacJonnyMac Posts: 9,104
    edited 2016-10-30 15:08
    The video is a little dark, but it will give you an idea of the work Matt put into the show.

    -- https://www.facebook.com/PrestonAltree/videos/10154981806125101

    He started by lifting the show audio and creating a track that told the story in about 10 minutes. Then he went to work controlling the lights in his house to sync with the audio. The main show controller is a very expensive product from Weigl. To control the Christmas bulbs, he wrote (with an assist from me) routines that run in the Propeller-based HC-8+. These routines are triggered by levels on DMX input channels. Matt played the Demagorgon [sp?] and his daughter, Kelly, played Eleven. Visitors were really blown away by the stretchy wall.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    VERY cool. For some reason the spell it out feature has got me thinking of a Ouija board with a magnetic XY plotter underneath, moving mysteriously. Hmm...
  • JonnyMacJonnyMac Posts: 9,104
    erco wrote: »
    VERY cool. For some reason the spell it out feature has got me thinking of a Ouija board with a magnetic XY plotter underneath, moving mysteriously. Hmm...

    Funny enough, Matt had a client that wanted such a thing and we were going to use and HC-8+ on that, too (it has 8 high current outputs, enough for two steppers). That project fell through.

  • JonnyMacJonnyMac Posts: 9,104
    Here's a bit of video on Yahoo. I am in that group of "special effects artist friends."

    -- https://www.yahoo.com/tv/visit-the-upside-down-in-this-stranger-things-haunted-house-191743855.html
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